


Survive

by Shinan7



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Romance, Secrets, Titans, criminal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 06:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2571143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinan7/pseuds/Shinan7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Francesca's parents get murdered and to hide her identity she dresses like a boy. She joins the theifs guild, then when the wall is breached, she finds herself in a place she never expected to be. Please give it a chance :). Transfered over from my fan fiction account.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Attack on Titan is not mine, I'm just a fan writing a fan-fiction.

Note: This is my very first Attack on Titan fan-fiction, and I hope you find it interesting! Please, if you like it(even if you don't) leave me a review! I'd really appreciate it!

To any of my Harry Potter followers that might by chance read this, please don't kill me! I know you're waiting for those updates, they might be slow but I'm working on them! I just get ideas and I like to write them and I can't help myself! XD (especially since I'm obsessing about Attack on Titan at the moment, double can't help myself)

Rating: T (Blood, violence, language)

Might be some spoilers, so if you're picky about that, you shouldn't read.

Chapter 1: The Mask

The dark scared Francesca, and she clung to her mother's side just a little more tightly. They'd escaped their house through the cellar, had made it this far into the woods and would hopefully get to their destination in one piece. They would meet up with her father, and they would disappear from the inner wall, gone, without a trace.

But there was something bothering Francesca, when they'd left through the secret passage way, her mother had only grabbed the bag with Francesca's things, nothing of her own or her father's, just Francesca's.

"Francesca, listen to me, you have to disappear, disappear and don't ever come back. No matter what happens to your father or to me, you have to disappear. They don't know you're with us, just run and hide and go to the furthermost wall, you'll be safer there." A whistle to their left made Francesca's mom hug her, but she let go quickly. With a firm push, she whispered urgently. "They're here! Run, Francesca! Run, and please, don't look back!"

With a strangled sob, Francesca stumbled and then ran, trying not to look back as she heard shouts, those of her mother, and those of people she didn't know. She tried not to look over her shoulder, but that was impossible, as she took cover in the trees, she glanced back.

The sight of her mother being stabbed through the throat, would haunt her for the rest of her life.

She held back a cry of hate and she saw her father appear from the darkness and jump at the man that had stabbed her mother, but a blow from behind sent him to the floor. Francesca ran again, even though she hated herself for it and would always hate herself for it, she ran with all of her might. If she stayed, they would find her and kill her too, and they would cover it up, just like they always did. The Military Police were nothing but criminals working for murderers, they'd love the chance to pin her death on innocent people.

She used to think they were the good guys, now, now she knew better, she knew the truth, and if they found her, they'd silence her, without even blinking an eye. Criminals, trained assassins, murderers.

The tears that streamed from her eyes, blinded her, but she didn't stop, couldn't stop. She had to get away, just like her mother wanted. She'd get away, and when she had the skill, she would take them out, one by one. By the time she would be finished with them, they'd be crying to be eaten by the Titan's. Crying and begging for it. And maybe she'd grant it, she'd love to see the look on their faces as they got chewed on alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Francesca, we have something to tell you. Your father found something out, and now we're in grave danger. Get your things together, quickly, we must go."

"But mother, why?" Francesca asked, her voice shaking.

"Because we found out something that we weren't supposed to know. I will tell you but you must not speak of it until the time is right."

"But, when will I know that the time is right?" Francesca murmured, eye's widening in confusion and fear.

"You will know."

"Cesco! Wake up, you lazy ass! Time's wasting!"

The gruff voice shattered through Francesca's dreams and she sat up with a start.

"Don, what the fuck is that for? I worked the crowd last night! Don't need to wake up this early, you ass hole!" Francesca snarled, making sure her voice stayed low. It wouldn't due for them to find out she was a woman after all.

"Boss' orders, plenty of people in the market just waiting for their purses to be lifted." Don replied, then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Hurry your ass up." With that he left.

Francesca rolled out of the bed with a groan, she heard her knee pop just as she got both feet under her. "Fucking bitch, my body acts like I'm old, and not even fifteen yet." She muttered under her breath. With a quick rinse of her face and mouth, she followed after Don, then went her own way when they left their building.

Her eyes scanned around, looking and spotting her favorite targets: The Military Police.

Well. Not the newbie's, no, most of them were naïve, wanting to be near the king, or just wanting to stay in the inner walls for safety. But the older ones, the ones that have been the heart of the corruption, were easy to spot. Cocky and smug looks on their faces, the bastards. She couldn't do much to them yet, but she sure as hell could relieve them of any and all valuable possessions without even breaking a sweat.

Maybe she had a death wish, many of her fellow thieves and pickpockets did think that, but she knew, deep in her soul, that they would only catch her when she wanted them too. And when that day came, she would crush them.

A group of Military Police caught her attention and she drifted in for a closer look. They seemed to be guarding something, it wasn't a person, that much she was sure of. As she walked away, another thing made her pause, why were there so many of them in the outer wall? There was always a few, but that was definitely more then was normal.

"Psssst, Cesco! Over here!"

Francisca made her way to the hissing voice and disappeared through the door.

 

A/N: Wow, I made her cuss a lot, haha, first time ever, I enjoyed it entirely too much. Anyway, please tell me if you find this interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

As Francesca's eyes got accustomed to the no lights in the building, the voice that had brought her over said eagerly. "Did you bring us any presents?"

Francesca grinned, not caring if she looked like a woman just then, these three wouldn't tell anyone. "Not yet, I have work to do, then I might bring you three a treat."

"Aww! What's your mission today?" The only girl in the group of three young children asked eagerly and she clasped her doll tightly, eyes wide with curiosity that was mirrored by the younger boy.

"I have to find something." Francesca smiled.

"That's it?" The oldest asked, sounding a tad disappointed. He had a sense of adventure that the other two didn't.

"That's it. I get a break today." Francesca winked then ruffled his hair. "Alright Bert, Alissa, Mark. I have to go, try not to get into trouble alright?"

"We won't." They chorused together.

With a final wave, Francesca left the building, making sure that none of the Military Police that were still waiting by their wagon… with a shrug, Francesca walked away, there was too maybe of them in one place, she'd probably have to go to the other side of the game to get away from any congregation of them.

An hour of walking and wondering got her nowhere. "Damn it." Francisca muttered then finally her eyes caught something. It looked like a drunk MP. This was perfect. With a grin, Francesca moved in. He was alone, and drunk, plus he looked like a head officer. He'd probably have something good, if not she's just dump him in an ally way, and look for a greedy merchant. One that like to rub elbows with the corrupt.

Suddenly, there was a big boom, and out of nowhere, a giant rock smashed into the MP.

"What the fuck?" Francesca couldn't help but stare, wide eyed at the area in front of her, just a few feet and it would have been her.

"Cesco! What's happening?" Alissa ran out of nowhere, with Mark and Bert closely behind her.

Francesca opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out as she spotted the head that appeared over the wall. Over the wall? That was impossible! That wall was over fifty meters tall! Nothing should be able to look over it! Nothing!

Then, as if it was never there in the first place, it disappeared, leaving behind a huge hole where the gate should have been.

"Damn, not again!" Francesca growled. "We have to go, Now!"

"What's happening?" Mark cried, fear showing clear on his little face. Francesca felt her heart contract. She didn't want them t o get hurt, they were just kids. But more then likely they would be. Being this far from the wall and gate…

"It's going to be alright Mark, but we have to move, and we have to move now!" Francesca pushed the three children towards the opposite side of the hole. She kept her eyes over her shoulder, keeping a look out and hopefully not see anything.

Her heart sank as she saw the giant bodies swarming from the hole.

She tore her gaze away and looked at the kids, they weren't fast enough… "Fuck." Francesca cursed and picked up Mark and hauled him over her shoulder then Alissa over the other. "Bert follow me! Quickly!"

"Whe…where are we going?" Bert's voice wobbled as he followed closely behind her, while constantly looking over his shoulder in fear.

"Just hurry, we can't let them see us."

"But, we have to get to the gate…" Alissa cried.

"We will, but first we have to hide." Francesca replied grimly then she spotted the door. "Found it! Burt, hurry get in!"

Bert opened the door and Francesca followed him closed before slamming the door shut behind them. They could feel the ground move, the thump, thump, thump of huge footsteps was unmistakable.

"Be quiet, alright?" Francesca whispered moving away from the door, and the screams. She walked to the middle of the floor, put down the two children, then moved the carpet and it revealed a door. With straining muscles, she opened it and gestured for the kids to go down to the cellar. After she helped Mark down, Francesca slowly lowered herself next to them.

"What is this place?" Alissa asked wide eyed.

Francesca grinned. "My hiding place. I don't want you leaving from here until I tell you, alright?" She said as she walked over to a chest and opened it. Inside was a set of 3DMG. She'd stolen it a year ago, had been practicing with it in secret. She knew it'd be handy to have and now she was glad she did. Sure she didn't know how to kill the Titan's but if she had to, she could lead them away from the area and if she saw any scouts, she could ask them to take the children to the wall. Hopefully they would think she was one of them.

"That's so cool." Bert whispered, his eyes shinning as he looked at them.

Francesca daftly put on the gear, with next to no trouble with the straps. Her constant hours of practicing saw to that.

"Do you really have to go?" Mark asked, a little wobble in his voice.

"I'll only leave if I have to, but you three stay down here, alright? You'll be safer." Francesca said making sure that they promised her that they would stay put. She climbed back up and put her back against the wall, peering through the window from the side so she wouldn't be seen.

Seconds latter, she was glad she had been cautious because a Titan walked passed. Francesca urged it to keep going but it stopped, and turned slowly towards her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Bait

The titan stopped, tilting its large head to the side. Francesca held her breath, silently urging it to walk away, to find someone else to chase. Suddenly something wizzed by, and the titan fell onto the building opposite of hers.

"Got it! Move on!" A voice shouted from somewhere overhead.

"Wait!" Francesca called out, hand opening the door. When she rushed out, the street was empty, except for the smoldering titan. "Damn it all!"

Francesca kept swearing as she stepped back into her hiding place. She made sure to hide under the window, keeping her eyes peeled for anymore titans or the Survey Corps.

Nothing appeared, which was both good and bad. Good because there weren't any titans around. Bad because she wouldn't be able to get anyone to help her with the little ones. "Where the fuck is everyone?" Francesca muttered, peeking out of the window a bit carelessly.

The thump, thump, thump of titan steps made her scooch away from the window. "Oh great, not again." Francesca gritted her teeth as the steps grew closer and closer with each passing second. This one sounded bigger then the one that was now a big pile of bones. She risked a peak and swore again. It was heading straight for her, the damn thing acted like it knew precisely where she was.

"Fucking shit! I need to get it away from here." Francesca muttered to herself. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, it didn't work, and rushed out of the door, making sure to slam it shut behind her. The titan immediately zeroed in on her and she launched the cords out to the opposite wall and sped away, barley being missed as the titan took a swipe at her.

The cable wobbled and Francesca slammed into the roof of the building. With a gasp she retracted the wires and ran up the roof a bit more. That titan wouldn't be able to reach her but she wasn't going to stay near the edge to find out that she had been dead wrong.

During it all, Francesca couldn't help but be glad that she had decided to figure out the damn vertical maneuvering equipment when she'd first found it, the blades were non-existent but she wouldn't have been able to use them anyway. She and the kids would probably be dead if she hadn't had the equipment at all.

"Damn, where are the Garrison or Survey Corps? They know how to carry people while using these things, where the hell are they?" Francesca muttered, making sure to keep an eye on the building. She wasn't even thinking about the Military Police, they'd probably leave the kids as bait and run for it.

Just then, a giant hand slammed into the roof right besides her. Francesca stumbled, nearly managed to fall over the edge.

"Bastard!" Francesca spat at the titan, blood trickled down where she had been cut by flying debris. The titan looked at her, a grin permanently plastered on its misshapen face. It brought up its arm again before bringing it down where she had stood just a few seconds before. She jumped and ran, trying not to use up the gas, it wouldn't help if she ran out before she found help.

"Watch out!" A voice sounded from behind her as she sped to the next building. With a gasp, Francesca landed. It was anything but graceful, she rolled a few feet before stopping. Stars flew through her vision and she shook her head to try to get rid of them. Just as her sight cleared, a pair of boots came into her view.


	4. Chapter 4

Francesca didn't have the time to look further up from the boots because the roof fell from underneath her. The damn titan had tripped and fallen into the building, making it collapse around it.

Just before she was sure that she would be buried alive under all the of the materials, she felt someone grab her around her waist. The sound of the cables shooting out a second after that, and they were out of harms way. But she was a bit startled.

"Le-let me go!" Francesca cried out, she was not used to anyone grabbing her like that person had, she absolutely hated being touched. She definitely didn't like it, not one bit.

"Hold still idiot! I don't want to drop your fat ass!" The person(a man, he sounded like a man) snarled through his teeth as he tried to get a good grip on her squirming form.

"I'm not fat!" Francesca snapped in reply.

Probably because of that lapse in concentration, they had a less than graceful landing. Instead of the roof, they went through a window.

"Shit." Both of them cussed as they untangled themselves from each other and Francesca managed to stab herself with some of the broken glass shards.

Francesca's head snapped up as she heard the titan begin to move again.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The man grunted as she used his body to help push herself up from the floor and towards the window.

She saw the titan heading towards the house she had left the kids at. "You mother fucker!" Francesca cursed, and she climbed out of the winder.

"Why are you cursing? Its going away from us." A voice said from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man who had kind of saved her. If she wasn't focused on saving the kids, she would have noticed that he was her type. Strong build, with dark hair and a fair complexion.

But since she wasn't paying attention to any of that, Francesca spat at him. "There are kids over there, dumbass! I've been keeping those bastards away and I'm not about to let it get them!"

With that, she was gone and didn't hear him say "Shit!". Francesca focused on the bastard in front of her.

"Hey ugly! Over here!" Francesca called crossing in front over it. She pushed her gear to the limit to stay in front of it. She move to the side, hoping that it would follow her in that direction. Her heart fell as the titan ignored her completely.

"Fucking shit!" Francesca cried, then, with trembling hands, she aimed her wires to the side of its head and shot up towards its head. The Titan ignored her like she wasn't even there. She knealed down, trying not to fall off.

"Damn!" She didn't know what else to do, but she had to do something. Anything. With a cry, shy pulled out her dagger and stabbed it in one of its eyes.

This time it didn't ignore her. It's arm shot up, reaching for her. Just before it would had grabbed her, someone slammed into her and propelling her off the titan.

They landed with another slam, or at least Francesca did, the man who had saved her(again), landed on his feet. He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you an idiot? Are you trying to get yourself killed, man?"

With a groan, Francesca ignored the survey corps member's question. She scrambled over to the edge of the roof, looking for the titan.

It appeared, it was looking straight at her from not even two feet away. It still had her dagger stuck deeply in its eye.

"Fuck..."


	5. Chapter 5

"Fuck..." Francesca said seeing the titan's arm aim straight for her, again. This time she didn't have enough time to react.

But someone else did.

Yet again, Francesca found herself being slammed into and carried away before being touched by those massive arms.

"Are you an idiot or something?!" The man yelled into her ear as the landed, this time more gently then the times before, on the street, out of sight of any titans.

Francesca chose to ignore the insult for the moment, and dashed away, towards the building that the kids where in. As she got closser, she noticed that it was still free of titans for the moment.

"Hey, asshole! Can you carry two kids?" Francesca yelled over her shoulder at the Scout that was following close behind her.

"Of course!" The man yelled back, eyes flashing from side to side, making sure no other titans were around yet. The one they had just escaped from was no where in sight.

They made their way into the building and she quickly headed over to the hole in the floor. "Bert, Mark, Alissa! Get over here, quickly!"

"Cesco! You're here!" Alissa cried flinging herself up the steps and into Francesca's arms, tears falling down her small face. "I-I thought you died! Don't do that again-please!"

Her sobbing broke Francesca's heart a little. Suddenly, she remember the past, her past. When she was a little girl. But with Francesca, she hadn't had anyone to cry on. "I'm sorry Alissa, but I had to make sure you three stayed safe. Don't cry please, we have to get you little ones out of here and somewhere safe."

The little girl sniffed, and nodded her head in agreement, not losening her hold around Francesca's neck.

"Alright, can you carry Bert and Mark?" Francesca asked over her shoulder at the Scout. She knew he had said yes before, but she had to make sure.

"Yes, I need the biggest to climb onto my back. I'll carry the youngest in my arms." The Scout replied, his eyes shifting from Bert to Mark.

Francesca nodded and she hurredly ushed the two boys over to him. Bert looked a little skeptical but soon, he was on the Scouts back, with his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Mark was equally situated as Alissa was.

Meanwhile, Francesca was glancing out the door, her arms tightly around Alissa. The street was still empty, with not titan footfalls anywhere within ear range.

"Alright, let's go. Head over to the closest wall, we'll be in less danger that way." The Scout said, heading out of the door.

"Yes." Francesca agreed and followed closely behind him. She quickly looked around before turning towards the wall. It was a few streets away, but it was definitely closer then the gate. That was clear on the other side of the town.

"Alright, we'll use the Manuvering Gear now, are you sure you can carry her and do that at the same time?" The Scout asked, reading himself, with he glanced sideways at Francesca.

"I can." Francesca said, then whispered into Alissa's ear. "Wrap your hands around my neck, hold on tight and don't let go, alright? I need my hands free for a bit."

Alissa nodded her head in understanding.

With that Francisca followed the Scout, wires shot out to the top of the buildings and they were off, heading towards the wall. They had no problems, until Francesca suddenly felt the gear lose its speed. She was in the middle of going from one roof to the other when it failed completely.

"Hang on Alissa!" Francesca cried out, wrapping both arms around the little girl and curled around her. They landed on a roof, Francesca grunting in pain as her back made contact with it. "Damn, that hurt." Francesca grunted out, her back stinging in pain.

"A-are you alright?" Alissa stuttered tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry about me. Are you hurt?" Francecsa asked, holding another wince while looking over the little girl.

Alissa shook her head in the negative, and squeaked in shock as the Scout suddenly landed next to them.

"Are you alright?" The Scout asked, eyes darting from Francesca, to the area around them, making sure there was no immediate danger.

Francesca nodded, and slowly got up. She held back a couple of swear words, not wanting to worry the kids. She fiddled with the Manuvering Gear for a few secons before snarling in disgust. "I'm fine, but my gear is finally out of steam..."

The Scout wasn't as restrained with his cussing.

"It's fine! Just get those two up there and come back for Alissa." Francesca snapped, cutting him off. "We should be fine for a few moments but you should hurry."

The Scout nodded and shot off, up the wall. Francesca held her breath until they made it all the way to the top. Soon he was heading back, a deteremined look on his face.

"Alright, Alissa, you're going to have to go with him, alright?" Francesca said to the girl as he landed next to them again.

"But... What about you?" Alissa stuttered, looking at the Scout wide eyed before turning back to Francesca.

"I'll be going up after you. I'm a little heavier then Bert, I don't think that it would be a good idea for me to go yet." Francesca replied kissing the girl on her forehead. "Now, don't worry, I'll be fine."

Alissa nodded her hear then reached over to the Scout who held out his arms towards her.

"I'll be right back." The Scout stated, for once able to look Francesca right in the eyes. She nodded her head them motioned him to hurry up and go .

With another nod, the Scout left, wires shooting up. Once again, Francesca held her breath, her eyes never leaving the little figure attached to the Scouts body. After what seemed like hours, they finally made it to the top of the wall, dissapearing from Francesca's line of sight.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Shit!" Francesca turned around, she hadn't been paying attention to the area around her, she'd been too focused on watching the Scout and Alissa. That had been one huge mistake, and she was going to pay for it.

The titan came out of no where, Francesca didn't even see it until she was in its giant hand.

"Let me go! You overgrown peice of shit!" Francesca screamed, struggling to get loose. It was to no avail. She wasn't even able to budge and inch.

The titan slowly brought her closer to its face, it looked like it was studying her for a second.

"Augh!" Francesca gasped as it suddenly tightened its hold on her, squeezing her. Her lungs felt like they were about to burst. She struggled to take a breath, to exhale, she couldn't do either... Francesca started to panic, and tried punching the closest of its fingers but it was useless. Her strength failed.

Second's seemed like hours, her vision began to blur, darken at the edges... and for once in her life, Francesca thought that she was going to die.

She was going to die, and she wouldn't be able to obliterate the organization that had destroyed her family.

She had failed.

'I'm sorry, mother, father.' That was the last thing that Francesca thought before everything turned black.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The darkness was starting to recede, growing less and less consuming, and becoming a sort of tunnel of light surrounded by darkness. The tightness on her chest was suddenly gone and she felt herself fall and hit the ground hard.

With a gasp, Francesca bolted upright. For a second, she didn't know who she was, where she was, or what was happening. Then it all came roaring back to her in a flash.

"Son of a bitch." She groaned, her chest heaving and then throbbing in pain. The air was great but the fact that she'd almost been squeezed to death, didn't relieve her lungs. They burned, and kept burning with each breath she took.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked from behind her.

"Fucking titan..." Francesca gasped as she tried to stand up. For some reason, her body wasn't listening to her, and all she managed to accomplish was to fall on her ass again. At least she wasn't dead. Her mission could still be accomplished.

"Sit still for a minute, the titan's dead. Try to catch your breath before moving." The Scout finally came into view and Francesca grimaced at him before following his advice. "Does anything feel broken?"

Francesca blinked, and shook her head. Again, she tried to stand up. This time the Scout helped her, keeping a grip on her arm, steadying her when she swayed. "What happened?"

"You almost died." The Scout replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thanks for saving me, then." Francesca didn't even blink at the bluntness of that one sentence. She managed a grin at him while her eyes wandered around them, then spotted the steaming titan a few feet away. "Bastard was sneaky."

The Scout just grunted in agreement, his own eyes scanning the area around them, while secretly observing her. He'd never seen her before, but she had the Maneuvering Gear and obviously knew how to use it. She was on the small side, probably still a teenager, but maybe she just had one of those genes that made her look young when she was in fact in her twenties. His gaze moved up to take in the messy hair. It was brown and short, but the bangs were long enough to cover her eyes. Right then, the bangs where pushed back, and her green eyes were extremely noticeable. Green eyes, not many people had that. He definitely had never seen her before. "What squad are you in?"

Francesca froze, and then pretended that she hadn't heard him as she rubbed her head. She had hoped that he hadn't noticed her hesitation.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit!

She'd saved the kids, but now she was in deep, deep, deep shit.

It had been worth it. There was no way in hell that she would have left the kids there to die and just save herself from being caught. No way in hell would she ever be that cold. She might put that mask on to fool people, but she never would leave children to die.

And now Francesca had to get away. She didn't know how, but she had to do it before they figured out that she had stolen the gear, and that she was in the Thieves Guild. Preferably when she was out of Trost but if she had to make a run for it now, she would. Now that the kids were safe, she could do a lot better without worrying about them being killed. She could run for it. Francesca was fast, and slippery. She hadn't been caught before this. She could definitely get away.

"What's your name?" The Scout asked, tearing Francesca away from her panicking thoughts.

"Oh, um Cesco... Yours?" Francesca asked trying to calm down. It wouldn't do to go into a panic attack. She had to keep calm. Calm.

The Scout raised an eyebrow at her, eyes studying. "You're a guy?"

"Huh? O-Of course I'm a guy!" Francesca pitched her voice low, her panic once again going on overdrive. She had been speaking normally before, completely forgetting that she was dressed as a guy and that she was supposed to be acting like one. Inwardly, she cussed at herself. She just kept digging her hole deeper and deeper.

The Scout just looked at her for a second. "Levi."

Francesca was confused for a second, she had been secretly studying his facial expressions when he'd said that (while admiring his face), then it hit her. That was his name. "Nice to meet you."

"What squad?" Once again, the dreaded question was asked, and Francesca really began to sweat because the Scout named Levi was looking at her like he'd already knew that she wasn't part of any of the military branches.

Fuck.

She was fucked. And screwed. And fucked again.

"You can let go now, I can stand by myself." Francesca said giving a little grin, trying to bullshit her way out of the mess. Hopefully this guy wasn't bright, that he believed everything she said. "I'm a newish recruit, haven't been put in squads yet."

Levi the Survey Scout didn't let her go, his grip only tightened, face held in a smirk as he looked straight at her. "Liar."

"Well, shit." Francesca muttered, tried to pull away, but he had an iron grip on her arm and it only tightened when she tried to free herself.

"What's your real name?"

Alright. Last resort. Too bad he really was her type. That smirk had sent a blush creeping up her face. He'd probably hate her after this.

"My real name is Cesco. Can you let me go? That kind of hurts." Francesca tried to make herself look extra small and frail. She shifted her feet and winced. Nothing was wrong with her but she wanted him to think that she was hurt and wouldn't be able to do anything to him when he let his guard down.

It seemed to work a bit since he looked away from her to assess the area around them, instead of paying closer attention to more of her movements.

Big mistake.

"Sure it i-" He was cut off and gasped as he fell to the floor, hand letting go of Francesca as he instinctively protected himself from another kick to his... sensitive area. Not that she went for it again. Once had been enough...

Yeah, he was definitely going to hate her.

"Sorry! Nothing personal!" Francesca called over her shoulder as she sprinted away, her chest giving her a little trouble. If she hadn't just been almost squeezed to death, she was sure that she would've been a lot faster on her feet. The current speed would hopefully do. "Thanks' for saving me and the kids!"

Francesca focused on the area around her, scanning to make sure that there weren't any more titans about as she ran and turned into an ally-way. She had gotten away. Now she needed to get into the sewer system. Sure it was dirty, but it was definitely the best place to be, for now. She'd be able to go under the wall, too. Not many people knew of them but that had been her way to sneak away from the innermost walls. The bonus was that if someone decided to follow her, she would easily lose them. Only a few people knew where they were when traveling through those tunnels, and she was one of them. It was a good plan; A very sound plan.

Too bad she should have kicked Levi again. But she hadn't wanted to do anything majorly damaging in case another titan appeared.

"Augh!" Francesca gasped as she was tackled to the ground.

"Got you!" Levi breathed heavily, knee pressed to her back to keep her from being able to get away. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Fuck." Francesca groaned, her head now spinning. "That hurt! You're mean."

Shocked silence. "Are you serious!?"

"Asshole." Francesca mumbled, trying to glare over her shoulder at him.

"You're the one that kicked me!" Levi frowned as he caught the look she sent him.

"... I said I was sorry! You haven't said you're sorry yet." Francesca replied seriously. Inside, she was shaking but she didn't want to let him know that. She was going to confuse the hell out of him, and then she was going to kick him again and get away.

That was her plan.

Step One: Confuse the hell out of Levi-Complete

Step Two: Get Levi to let his guard down and stand up- In Process

Step Three: Kick Levi, three times (got to make sure)-Coming Soon

Step Four: Run like hell-Not There Yet

Step Five: Disappear and change hair color- Long Way Away But Gonna Get There

Levi was staring at her like she was crazy.

"Can I get up now?" Francesca asked, wiggling a little to relieve the pressure on her back from his knee.

"No." The one word answer made Francesca groan.

"Please?"

"No."

"You still haven't said you're sorry yet." Francesca muttered in frustration. "If you don't want to say sorry then let me stand up and I'll take that as an apology."

Silence was her only answer.

"What if I promise to behave?" Francesca tried again.

This time he grunted.

Step Two: Fail

"You're mean!"

Levi suddenly whistled, startling Francesca a little as she tried shifting. Being face down on the ground hurt. Rocks and pebbles were digging into her chest and legs. It was extremely uncomfortable.

"Captain Levi! There you are!" A female voice called from above them.

Francesca sagged in disappointment. She was done for. He had reinforcements now. She wouldn't be able to get away with kicking Levi again.

Damn.

She was definitely screwed.

Someone landed next to them, then a few more people.

"What do you have there, Captain?"

"Help, he's gonna hurt me!" Francesca moaned with pain.

Something hit her head.

"Ow! See? Get him away from me!" Francesca cried pathetically. Deception was a good way to start. Make them underestimate her and then, pow!... Though she wasn't completely sure what the pow was going to be yet...

"Nice try, you're not going anywhere."

"Asshole." Francesca muttered quietly to herself, and felt them pull her up by both her arms. Once on her feet, the hands stayed where they had grabbed her. Obviously Levi had sent them a silent signal to hold on tight.

"Now, what's your name?" Levi was standing right in front of her, with one person on either side of her, holding her in place.

"I told you, it's Cesco!" Francesca grumbled, her eyes scanning around her, counting how many Survey Scouts were around. Including Levi, there were five. "Why are you even here? Thought you guys were outside the wall today..."

"We were, now we're here." Levi replied, frowning at her. "Why did you have the Maneuvering Gear with you if you're not part of any of the Military Branches?"

"Captain, shouldn't we go up to the wall? We've cleared the area of titans but there might be some new ones now." The only female in the group spoke, stepping over to stand next to Levi.

"You're a Captain?" Francesca said out loud in surprise, she'd been sure she had miss-heard the first time someone had said it... Her face had been pressed to the ground so it was okay for the lapse.

Levi raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you surprised?"

Francesca was assessing Levi again, openly looking him up and down. "Well, you have the body for it, definitely great, I love how the pant's look by the way, but there's no way you can be a Captain."

Someone chocked.

Someone else gulped.

A couple of people gasped.

Levi just kept staring at her, eyebrow raised. "Why is that?"

"Because," Francesca grinned. And she kicked him in the same exact spot as the last time. She figured she was already screwed, might as well go down in flames. And there might be a small chance that she could get away. The sewer was just down the alley, and having someone kick their Captain in the nuts would be shocking since it probably never happened before. "A Captain doesn't let that happen twice in a row!" She tore herself away from the two people holding her and ran for it.

Fancesca heard people yelling and shouting but she didn't slow down until she turned the corner and found the entrance to the sewer. With practiced ease, she popped it open and disappeared into the darkness. She made sure to close the grate behind her before she moved away, towards the wall. She wanted to get away and to the other side as soon as possible, Francesca really needed to change her appearance, so a direct route would be in order. Quickly, she oriented her position, then headed out.

One thought kept running through her mind.

Levi definitely hated her.

She couldn't help but let out a giggle. The look on his face... the shock, surprise and pain... it had been priceless.

Too bad Francesca would never see him again, she kind of liked Levi… Even though he was older. It had been fun while it lasted, even while the situation had also been life threatening.

Another giggle escaped into the darkness as she walked on.

Step 2, 3, and 4: Complete. Albeit with a little improvising. On to Step 5, the last and final step.


	7. Chapter 7

Beta: Landartheconqueror

The grate moved ever so slowly, and Francesca peeked out of the small opening. The sun had long since set, and she saw that this particular alley was devoid of any human life. That was a bit surprising but she'd roll with it. This was the first grate she'd peeked out of and usually she'd have had to go to a dozen different one's before she'd find one that nobody was near. It seemed like luck was still on her side.

Carefully, Francesca pushed the grate halfway open and shimmied her way out, before closing it tightly behind her. At last, she was finally free of the stink that had surrounded her for those few hours she'd been in there. The downside was that Francesca was sure that she would be smelling that stink for a little while longer. That was the only hiccup of using the sewer system as a fast exit- That and not knowing if her escape routes were clear or not.

Francesca stood still for a few moments, waiting to see if she could spot any movement around her. Her eyes were darting around towards the end of the ally and then behind her. She wasn't about to let her guard down just yet.

Dead.

Nothing.

It really was surprisingly quiet, not even a whisper could be heard. Sure, it was late at night, but Trost had just been breached a few hours ago; she had been expecting panic, bodies moving everywhere, and none stop chaos.

Not this...

...Eerie and dead silence.

Odd. Shouldn't it be more... panicky? A lot of people were pushed over to this side... I would have thought that the streets would be crowded... Better be careful, this doesn't seem right.

"Was this side breached too?" The word's left her mouth in a harsh whisper as soon as the thought hit her. Eye's immediately widened in terror. If it had been breached, she was screwed.

Then, the sudden noise of drunken laughter in the building next to her had Francesca relaxing a bit. She still wasn't completely sure but that was a good sign that this side was titan free.

One last glance around at her surroundings, then Francesca took off, feet barely making a sound as they connected with the ground. She was still going to be careful, just in case. There was absolutely no need to attract unwanted attention, not with the mess she'd left over on the other side of the wall. She'd probably have to disappear for a while, or come up with another disguise so that she wouldn't be easily recognized. Having a dozen or so of those disguises already planned out and usable certainly helped.

A frown suddenly appeared on her face as Francesca remembered the words that the Scout Levi... Captain Levi... had said.

Did he really know I was a girl or did he just think I looked like one?

Something crashed against the ground and Francesca slid back, making sure that she shrunk into the shadows, disappearing in seconds. A breath passed, and then Francesca heard a cat meow as it ran past. Instantly, Francesca relaxed, and headed off again.

Francesca was used to walking without a sound, to disappear from sight in moments. She was an expert of staying quiet and unnoticed, even in a room full of people or a crowded market. Years of trying to blend in, years of keeping hidden in plain sight helped. With the help of a few that weren't exactly considered honorable in some people's minds, she had gotten extremely good at it; Rouges, thieves, and military deserters were her teachers.

It hadn't been immediately but the rouges and thieves had noticed her skills and brought her in to their ranks to hone those skills, to make her a master at what she was already good at. Because of being able to stay unnoticed, she had been able to steal a lot of things that were difficult for even half of the criminals in the Thieves Guild. It helped that she had been small, and relatively normal. She basically blended into the crowd. The only thing she had to constantly hide was her eyes. Green was an extremely noticeable color. Not many people had her eyes; therefore, that was her only flaw in any off her disguises.

Before Francesca had first started to dress as a boy, she had noticed that she'd been getting attention that she didn't really want. She had been noticeable- extremely so. Francesca never really got why but she'd thought that changing her appearance would help with it and also keep her from being recognized. After she'd chopped off most of her hair, dyed it, and put a hat on to be able to hide most of her face from people looking down at her, it had changed. People ignored her like she wasn't even there. That was when she'd caught the Thieves' Guild attention, and her pick-pocketing and burglary training had started.

However, the military deserter had been there for her before the Thieves' Guild- had been her first teacher.

James.

When he had found out exactly how far the Military Police had fallen, he'd deserted. That same night that Francesca's parents had been killed was when he'd left. James had seen what had happened to her parents, and had caught up to Francesca. They had both disappeared that night from the radar of the Military Police.

The deserter had taken her under his belt, and taught her everything he could while they had traveled to the outermost wall. During the night, after making camp, James had taught her how to defend herself, how to break someone's hold on her, how to incapacitate an enemy long enough for her to escape. He'd also taught her how to fight dirty. He'd explained that since she was a girl, any man that attacked her would have the upper hand because men were physically stronger then her. Therefore she had to use the art of surprise fully to her advantage. Most men underestimated women or were over confident with themselves, and that was their flaw. James had drilled her relentlessly until she had been able to drop her teacher nine times out of ten. After that he'd taught her a few weapons, like knives and swords. She was semi-decent with the sword but she excelled with knives. Even throwing them, she hit the target dead on every single time. James had been extremely impressed with that. He'd even won bets when they'd needed the money while they were in towns. People didn't seem to think that a little girl could throw a knife let alone use it. Francesca hadn't been mad- being dismissed and underestimated had won them a lot of money; besides, seeing the looks on their faces after hitting bull's eye after bull's eye was extremely satisfying. Collecting the money afterwards had just been the icing on the cake for her.

It had taken them a year to sneak past walls, to move from town to town. Each had taken up numerous disguises. They could have gotten there faster, but they'd wanted to make sure they didn't leave a trail behind. There had been a number of close calls, but they had finally made it. The final disguise she'd taken on was that of a boy, and that was when the Thieves Guild had taken her on. They had had a great thing going; James had also been added into the group. Like Francesca, he took extreme pleasure in stealing anything destined for the MP or, on the rare sighting of them, from their person.

Then the wall had been breached, and Shiganshina had fallen along with everything between wall Maria and Rose.

She remembered it well.

Chaos.

People screaming, people crying. People running for their lives, some even just frozen, not moving, stuck in shock.

She hadn't done any of that. Her goal had been to escape, to survive. And she had, she'd snuck onto one of the packed boats, making it to safety. Unlike many others who'd died.

She'd found James after getting off the boat. After that, James had left the Thieves, he'd wanted to distance himself from them for a while before that, and the breach had let him disguise himself once more, letting his thief persona to die in Shiganshina.

At first, he'd wanted Francesca to do the same, but she hadn't wanted to. She had stayed with the guild, becoming even more ingrained into the seedy organization.

That didn't stop Francesca from keeping in contact with James, visiting him every few months. James was- not like a father figure; nobody could replace her father- but like an elder brother. She'd even called him that a few times. James never minded, he'd even responded in kind.

I need to find James.

"You'd better be at the inn. I can't afford to go looking for you if you aren't!" Francesca talked to herself, making sure not to say that above a whisper. She really didn't want any unneeded attention at the moment. Not after she'd escaped from the clutches of the Survey Corps by the skin of her teeth.

I painted a big ass target on my back... James' going to throw a fit.

The light flooded from all the windows at the inn, letting the last of the tension leave from Francesca's shoulders. People were coming and going, most were drunk.

Slowly, she drifted in behind a group of men. Laughter assaulted her ears as she passed the threshold, her eyes immediately skimmed the room, searching, searching, and finally spotting him near the back of the room. Green eyes met gold, and James' face showed relief for a second after their gazes met, before the look left like it never had been there in the first place. Subtly, he motion to the door behind him. With practiced ease, Francesca slipped past tables, chairs, bodies, and swiftly disappeared though the door. Moments later, James followed, closing the door behind them.

Francesca jumped into James' open arms, smiling warmly as she was wrapped in a tight hug. "You don't know how glad I am to see you alive, Francesca. After hearing about the breach..." James trailed off, giving her one more squeeze before pulling back.

"Yeah... But I'm not hurt!" She gave him a smile that he saw right through.

"What did you do?" James raised an eyebrow.

"... Nothing." Francesca mumbled, immediately feeling like a child that was in trouble but didn't want to admit to doing something wrong just yet.

"Francesca..."

"Please don't yell, but..." Francesca took a deep breath. "I kinda sorta kicked someone in the nuts and it may or may not have been a Captain from the Scouts..."

A beat of silence, and a widening of his eyes. "What!?"

"Twice. He was kind of cute... do you think he hates me?" Francesca decided to add something else, the previous words weren't supposed to have left her brain. "And before that I was almost squeezed to death by a titan."

"..." Shock was evident on James' face and a tinge of red was creeping up his neck.

"And I need some black hair dye."

James' eye twitched.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, we've delt with that problem- for the time being at least. Now, Levi... What did you want to tell me about the situation that you had before finding the titan?" Erwin questioned as he leaned forward, elbows on the desk, with his hands clasped together, hiding his lower face.

Levi's face was impassive as he stood in front of Commander Erwin, though his ears had turned a light pink color, light enough that Commander Erwin missed it. "Just before my team got to the area where Eren Jeager had plugged the hole, we got seperated and I ran into someone using the 3DMG to draw away titans from a certain area. When I tried to get-" There was a slight hesitation here. "him to leave, he lead me to three children hiding in one of the houses. We got to the wall but he ended up running out of gas. I left him and took the kids to the top of the wall. When I came back for him, he had been attacked by another titan. I killed the titan and freed him, though he looked like he had been injured. When I asked him what Squad he was in... that was when I noticed that there was something suspicious about him. He lied to me by saying he wasn't in a Squad. I noticed that he didn't have a uniform, just the 3DMG. I managed to get a name but I doubt that it's his real one. Cesco is the name that he gave me. Just as I was about to imobalize him, he managed to incompasitate me for a moment and ran away. That's when my Squad found me, and we captured him again. He managed to get away a second time. We followed, but lost sight of him." That's when Levi's face showed just a tiny bit of emotion. One side of his lips twitched downwards before smoothing out again.

"Interesting." Commander Erwin stated, an eyebrow raised as he kept his eyes on Levi. "If you spot him again, arrest him. He might come in handy, after all. How old did he look? How were his skills with the 3DMG and his fighting?"

"I'd say thirteen, but he could be older. Not more then seventeen, is my estimate. As for the 3DMG, he was very proficient with it. From what I saw, he's had years of practice with them. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was trained in their use from a very young age by someone who knew their way around them. The only thing he didn't use were the swords. The gear he used had no blades. I'm not sure whether he ran out or if he never had them. He was also adapt in self defence. When confronted with a titan, he was determined to keep it away from the children, even stabbed one in the eye with a dagger. "

Commander Erwin thought for a second before responding. "Keep a look out for him in the town and over the wall as well. He might be laying low. Did your Squad get a good look of him?"

Levi nodded his head once.

"Good. I'm sure he won't get away a third time. The children are still here, correct? Ask Petra to see if they know anything about 'Cesco'. I'm sure she'll be able to get them to open up."

Again, Levi nodded. Children tended to love Petra. If they knew anything about Cesco and his whereabouts, then Petra would get it from them.

Later that day, the children still hadn't told them anything interesting about 'Cesco' and Levi regreated thinking that it would be an easy task.

"Anything?" Levi asked Petra as she left the room that the kids were in. Levi could hear giggling and teasing comming from there.

She shook her head, glancing into the room once more before closing the door and facing Captain Levi. "All they're telling me is that this 'Cesco' helps them by feeding them whenever he can and also he plays games with them when he isn't busy 'fighting the evil and greedy'. The girl is the most attached to him. He gave her that toy and it seems like he's protected them several times from the bigger kids that like to pick fights."

Levi nodded, his face stoic as he contimplated the information that told them basically nothing.

"It seems like this 'Cesco' visits them a lot. We can let them go and follow them. This 'Cesco' could seek them out to see if they're alright. It's a long shot, but it might be something."

Levi nodded his head, contimplating the man named 'Cisco". For some reason, he couldn't get it out of his head that 'Cesco' wasn't a he.

OoOoOoOoOoO

James ushered Francesca up to the private rooms he kept for himself and left a trusted server to look after the tavern while he freaked out over what Francseca had told him. As soon as he'd joined her in the room, all he'd done was rub his face and grumble to himself in exasperation. Every few seconds, he would turn to look at her, groan, then pace around the room in despair.

Francesca just watched with a grin as James had a minor meltdown. He obviously had a headache and she was willing to bet that it was all because of her and her small confession that she hoped he would forget about.

Just like old times. Luckily, she managed to keep the smirk off her face. James would deffinatly blow his top if he saw it. He was such a mother hen.

"Francesca, please be more considerate of my feelings. You're well on your way to giving me a heart attack. Imagine that, a heart attack at twenty-five!" James stated, bringing his hands to his chest as sagging a bit. It looked like he was going to ignore that fact that she'd called a guy cute. That was good.

With a snort, Francesca raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "Twenty-five? In your dreams! More like thirty-five!"

James winced, bringing his arms back down. "Ouch, you still haven't learned to pull your punches. Anyway, I'm more worried about the fact that you antaganized a Squad Captain. Not only that..." He trailed off and desided to drop what he was about to say. " What the hell were you thinking, Francesca?! That's suicide! Haven't you learned anything that I taught you?! You just caught the attention of a Captain!"

The shrug that Francesca gave him seemed to make his heart palpitate a bit. "That's why I need the hair dye! Diguise! Oh, his name was Levi and he kinda knows I can use the 3DMG too."

She didn't think that it would be possible, but it seemed like James eyes got even wider and slightly crazed. He was also gapping at her, mouth opening and closing. He kinda looked like a fish when he did that. "What!? You've got to be fucking kidding me! Francesca, tell me you didn't! Please, please tell me you're just pulling my leg..."

"It's not like I had any other choice! Getting squashed, eaten, or killed by titans is not the way that I want to go! You would've done the same thing! Admit it! Plus, I had three kids with me, it's not like I could leave them to die a horrible death by titan teeth! I'm not a monster!" She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"It just had to be the Captain Levi? Great, this is just fantastic! So not only have you caught the attention of Captain Levi, but also of Comander Erwin and anyone else they're connected to... Francesca..." James ran his hand through his blond hair with more then a bit of justified frustration.

"I know, James. It's bad, I know it is. But I couldn't let those kids die, and I got away. Sure, I'm probably going to get chased down, but they only saw my disguise, not even the kids know what I really look like so it's not like the Scouts can get it out of them. I just need to make a new disguise. That's why I need the hair dye. I think I need to lay low from the theifs guild too..." For a second, Francisca hesitated.

"What is it?" James saw her hesitation immidiatley

She sighed before replying. "Well, I don't know if the Scout noticed that I'm a girl. He seemed surprised when I told him that I was a guy, or maybe he didn't really beleive me when I told him that. Should I go as a guy again or should I go back to dressing as a girl? Would it be more obvious or less?"

For a second, James was silent. "I think that you should dress as a girl again... Just for the time being. The Scouts are going to be around for a bit longer because of the human titan they have..."

Francesca was confused. "Human...Titan...? Wait, what human titan?"

"Oh, you probably haven't heard since you've been stuck in the sewers for the day... Well, they found a human that can tranform into a titan, if you can believe that. He sealed that hole that the fifty metre titan made in the wall. They've got him quarentined underground. There's going to be a hearing in a few days with the higher ups." James replied with a thoughtful look on his face. "The Scouts, Garrison, and MP will be around for at least a week sorting out what they're going to do with him. That's why I think that you should dress as a girl, you'll be less recognizable that way. I have some black hair dye but I think after this you should let your natural hair color out. You haven't been seen with at all since we got here."

Francesca nodded in agreement and watched as James went to the connecting room and after a few minutes he came out with a bottle of what she guessed was hair dye.

"Here, the bathrooms through that door. Your going to stay for the night and I'll give you a few clothing choices tomorrow. How short is your hair?" James asked a small frown on his face.

Francesca reached up and took off the hat she had on. Her hair brown hair immediatly fell to her shoulders. "It's long. I was supposed to cut it a few weeks ago but I was pretty busy so I just stuffed it under this hat until I could get the chance to chop it off without anybody interupting."

James' frown was replaced with a small grin. "Good, I was worried that it would be too short. Alright, go ahead and dye your hair. You can sleep in that room just before this one. I've got a bed in there in case you ever needed it. Good thing I did think about it. I need to go back down, I trust Bruce but not for longer then a couple of minutes. Troublemakers think he's a pushover and start things. I'll talk to you tomorrow so don't leave, goodnight." He gave her a hug then walked out of the room, leaving her alone to do her business.

With a small groan at the twinge of pain through out her body, she went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and placing the bottle of dye on the counter. For a few seconds, she just stared at it, lost in thought.

She had to make sure that she didn't draw any attention to herself until the Scouts left the area again. With the way that Levi had tried keeping her there, she was sure that he'd at least be on the look out for her if not actively searching for her and trying to apreheand her. If only she's been just a bit more belivable with her story, and if her 3DMG hadn't run out of steam at the last minute, she might have been able to disapear without much suspision.

But there was nothing she could do to change the past. Instead of worrying any more about it, she focused on the task at hand.

A makeover!

About an hour later, Francesca left the bathroom, her hair darker then the light brown it used to be. She'd even cut it a little, giving her hair a layered cut, making her look a bit more feminine. She even had bangs. It was a little weird to be honest. She hadn't seen herself as a girl in a really long time and she'd been a bit surprised at how naturally girly her looks were. Well, naturally as in her face, not her hair color. With just a new hair cut and a few color adjustments at that. It was like how she'd felt when she'd first dressed herself as a boy. That same surprise all over again.

With a sigh, Francesca walked into the room that James had told her that she could use and took off her clothes, letting them drop near a corner, before flopping down onto the bed, and throwing the thin blanket over her naked form.

Her body hurt, it hurt all over, and she was exhausted. The long day, added to the strain from running from and fighting titans, being almost squeezed to death, and then having that small tussle with the Scouts, had finally caught up with her. In less time then she normally would have, Francesca began doze off.

Just before she went under, she had a small thought that almost made her laugh.

She'd finally be able to get rid of the breast bindings she'd had to wear since she'd first noticed how her chest had gotten a bit bigger. They were necissary, but a huge pain in the ass.

"He really is going to have a heart attack." James' protective streek was going to flame up again just because she was dressed as a girl.

The wonders of having an older brother- even if they weren't techiniquly related.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning, Francesca sat up with a start, her hearting beating a lot faster, almost like she had been running a marathon.

A quick look around, and she calmed down a bit. The memories of the day before flooded in slowly at first, then in a rush.

With a groan, she fell back onto the bed, feeling the way her back muscles twitched in pain and discomfort. She'd probably need to stretch before getting out of the room if she didn't want to walk around sore and hurting all day. It would help loosen up her muscles. She hoped that she would never have to go up against a titan or a Scout ever again. There was just too much pain.

Not to mention she was sure that she wouldn't survive a third time against one of those monsters. She was a theif, but deffiniatly not a titan killer.

Again, she sat up. This time a lot slower then when she'd first woken up, and carefully climbed out of bed. As Francesca had predicted, her muscles began to burn. Dressing quickly, and with a grunt every now and then, she began to stretch. First her arms and then her legs. When she could touch her toes without stopping halfway because of pain, she deemed herself ready enough to leave the room. She'd probably still be sore throughout the day, but it wouldn't be as bad as it would if she hadn't stretched at all. And it wasn't like she was going to run around or use the 3DMG to get away from titans.

Deffinatly not.

"Damn!" Francesca cussed as she stepped out of the room. She'd left the 3DMG at one of her hiding places in the sewers. She wouldn't be able to retreave it anytime soon, hopefully nobody else knew about that hiding place. If someone did end up stumbling across them, she'd have to kiss the 3DMG goodbye. Why hadn't she thought about it earlier? Probably because all she'd been focused on was getting away with as much speed as possible. "I hope it'll still be there."

"What will still be there?" James asked with a bit of curiosity. He'd just walked out of his own room, carrying a bag with him.

"The 3DMG. I had to ditch it in the sewers..." Francesca groaned.

James shook his head. "Good luck ever finding that again."

Francesca pouted at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "Is that the promised goods?"

James grinned and handed her the canvas bag. "That it is. I'm sure there's something there that will fit you. I also put some thread and a packet of needles there in case you want to alter anything for better movement or if its to big."

"Great! I'm going to change now. But first, bath!" Francesca hummed in happiness, she hadn't had a proper bath in a long time. It was about time she got to have one. She opened the bag and peaked inside. She spotted a green dress, a light brown one, a grey one, and what looked like a fadded burgendy tunic and dark green skirt. There were also a few off white aprons, tunics and what looked like a black pair of pants.

"Come down when you're done, I'll have some food ready for you. You can help me with the inn afterwards. Scouts never come in here, so its best to stay for the time being." James grinned at her disgruntled face. "And please don't draw too much attention to yourself if a customer gets on your nerves..."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya." Francesca stuck her tongue out at him before flouncing into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her with a loud thump.

James walked away, shaking his head. Why did suddenly have the feeling that he had just jinxed himself...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Francesca left the bathroom feeling more refreshed then ever. That quick rinse they day before just hadn't done it. With a sigh of contentment, she headed into the main part of the inn. Her stomach growled at that moment and she wondered how she'd been able to even fall asleep on an empty stomach.

It was still early enough that when she walked into the main room, only a few people were there eating breakfast. She spotted James placing some food at the table closest to the kitchen. She immediatly headed over to him, side-stepping by the one customer that she had to pass by as he tried to wrap his arm around her waist.

The man was lucky that James hadn't seen that, otherwise he'd have found himself tossed out on his ear, loyal patron or not.

With a quiet snort to herself, she reached James' side just at the older man placed two mugs of tea on the table. That done, he finally turned arund to look at her and promptly sputtered.

"Francesca?! What the hell are you wearing!?"

And so the protective streek immerged, tenfold. Francesca could already tell it was going to be fun to mess with him.

The teen girl raised an eyebrow at him, then glanced down. She had decided to wear one of the white tunics and the dark green long skirt. Francesca had modified both the tunic and the skirt a bit for better movement and to make them prettier. The colar of the shirt had been changed drastically. Originally it had reached halfway up her neck, covering her completly. After a bit of cutting, tucking, and sewing- it was wider, falling just to her shoulders and across her front in a wide V. It was low enough to see the begining of the valley between her breasts but nothing more then that. She'd even made a little pattern around the colar and worn a wide black belt around her stomach, over the tunic and skirt, tucking the tunic under the skirt as well so it wouldn't peek underneath the belt. The sleves on the tunic stayed long, she still had some bruises and figured that keeping them hidden would stop any unnessisary questions and or curiosity from people. To make sure that if she had to rip the skirt in case of an altrication, she'd worn a pair of pants underneath the skirt so that she wouldn't have to run around half naked. All in all, she looked damn good.

If she was going to dress as a girl again, she thought she'd might as well go all out. It wasn't like she'd be able to get the chance to do this again after this. So she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Concited? Me? Nahhh.That thought made her snicker.

The look on James' face just grew more panicked.

"Well, aren't we going to eat? I'm starving!" Diversion were beautiful. Too bad this one didn't work.

"Francesca..."

She winced a bit at the look on James' face.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Welcome, what can I get you?" Francesca said with a smile as she stopped next to a new customer that had just sat down at a table that had just been vacated a few seconds before. It had been like that all day. As soon as a person left, someone sat down on the vacated space almost instantly. She didn't mind, honsetly. It kept her busy, helping her keep her mind off of the mess that had happened the other day. She might act like it was nothing on the outside, but the expirience had shaken her deeply. Not that she would admit it to anyone.

Never once did Francisca think that she would ever come face to face with a titan, much less two! She'd stabbed one in the eye and the other had almost squeezed her to death! It hadn't happened yet, but Francesca knew the shock would hit her soon. The night before she'd been too exhausted to think about it before she fell asleep, but she was sure that as soon as she had nothing to do and let her mind wander, it would hit her.

That's why it was good that she was extremely busy at the moment.

"I'd like a mug of ale and bowl of your stew." The man grunted at her, not even looking up from the table. The people that came here tended to be like that. Of course, there were always exceptions to that rule.

"That'll be half a silver." Francesca told him.

The man placed the coin on the table but kept his hand over it. She nodded to him and headed to the kitchen. In seconds, she went back to the table, balancing a hot bowl and a mug of ale, making sure that she wasn't jostled as she made her way through the crowded room. As soon as she reached his table, Francecsa placed the food and drink in front of him. She took the coin that the man handed to her before going to the next customer, slipping the money into the pouch hidden in the folds of her skirt as she went. Nobody would be able to pickpocket it from there without having her notice it. Being a pickpocket herself helped immensly.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her waist and pulled her onto a lap. Francesca almost let out a squak of indignation, but managed to keep that back. If James heard that, he'd tease her incessantly about it. After kicking the crap out of whoever made her sound like that, of course.

"My, aren't you a pretty little thing? How about you and I have a bit of a private chat? What do you say, sweetheart?" The man's breath made Francesca practically gag in disgust. He was obviously drunk and would be unlikely be able to remember anything the next day.

In one swift motion, she elbowed the drunk in the gut and stood up, making sure to stomp on his foot for good measure. She enjoyed the yelp that left his lips, it made her smirk. "I'd sugguest that you leave, bastard, before you get into more trouble then you can handle." With that, she left the man grasping on the floor. She spotted a pissed of James already walking over to throw the man out of the door.

She hoped that the idiot landed on his face.

With a small smile playing on her lips, Francesca made her rounds around the room. She didn't notice the pair of eyes tracking her every movement until she passed by and a hand reached out, grabbing her arm tightly.

Francesca snapped around, getting ready to throw an elbow at another idiot, probably in the face this time because it really was getting ridiculous how forward they were getting and it was growing on her nerves..

What she saw made her freeze, and her face to turn pale.

There sat someone she hadn't thought she would have the pleasure of seeing ever again.

Captain Levi.

Shit.


	9. Chapter 9

Levi POV:

"Damn those kids. Not giving up an inch." Levi muttered as he walked down the street in the small town just outside of Trost. He sighed, ignoring the looks that some of the civilians were sending him as he strode past them on his way to his favorite tavern.

He needed this break. Everything had been hectic for the past day.

First Eren Jeager and now this 'Cesco' fellow. The kids had said 'Cesco' was a man but Levi still couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't. Although, 'Cesco' could have been a pre-teen boy. But it just didn't fit well with Levi. Something was telling him that he was a she.

The few times 'Cesco' had let 'his' guard down, his voice had been surprisingly feminine. And the way he'd acted... and the look she'd had in her eyes. Her green eyes.

His gut told him 'Cesco' was a girl. His gut had never let him down yet.

Sure of himself, Levi then wondered why 'Cesco' would go so far as to hide her identity. Had she murdered someone? Or was she running from something? Nobody went to such lengths for a whim, so it must be something big.

Not that it would do any good to speculate, especially when he still hadn't found her.

Levi remembered Commander Erwin's words.

"This 'Cesco' reminds me of you, Levi. Criminal, with obvious fighting skills(If he can get away from trained Scouts then he has experience fighting), and stands up to authority without flinching. If he's as good as you say with the 3DMG, then we've got a miniature Levi."

"I've never kicked you in the crotch, Commander. He's not a miniature me."

Commander Erwin chuckled. "No you didn't, but I'm sure you were thinking about it. When you find him, he will be placed in your Squad. It should work very well."

"Are you sure about that, Commander?"

"If he turns out to be a murderer, no. But barring that, I'm sure. He might need more training, but all new recruits do."

Levi sighed at the memory. Commander Erwin always knew how to pick them.

Finally, Levi walked into the tavern.

What he saw made him stop short.

"Cesco." Levi whispered the name, eyes narrowing as he took in the face from yesterday. The green eyes were unmistakable and whe her voice drifted over to him, it sounded just like when she hadn't deepened it on purpose. This time 'Cesco' was in a green skirt, cream tunic, apron. Her long black hair fell to her shoulders, and framed her face.

"I was right. Back up" Levi muttered to himself quickly ducking out of the taver before he was spotted.

He needed to be quick.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The grip on her arm lessened, but Francesca didn't let the relief show on her face just yet. She didn't want to let her guard down.

The Gods must really hate her if they keep bringing her path towards Captain Levi.

Maybe they'd heard how she thought he was handsome and wanted to regret ever thinking that...

The grey eyes never left her face but she didn't try to meet them.

"What can I get for you sir...?" Francesca made sure she made her voice high and squeaky. If she used her normal tone, he'd probably recognize it since she 'd let her guard down so much around him. She hoped he hadn't been there earlier. As soon as she could, she was going to slip out of the back of the kitchen. There was no way she was going to take the chance. Absolutely no way.

For a few minutes, Captain Levi said nothing. "One of your beers."

"Ah, alright. I'll be right back, sir." Francesca hurried away, sending James a look without being obvious about it. Once she was behind the kitchen doors, Francesca ran for it, going full speed through the kitchen and towards the back door. Grabbing one of the spare cloaks that hung on the pegs just next to the door, she threw it over her shoulders and pulled the hood up, making sure it obscured most of her face from view.

She wanted so badly to run as fast as she could, but that would only draw attention to herself. She couldn't afford to do anything like that. Good thing she always kept everything she needed on her person and didn't have to go back her room to retrieve anything.

One blessing at least.

A quick glance around showed the deserted courtyard. She set off immediately, keeping her pace even and not like she was running away from anything. She made it out of the area and she let her tense muscles relax.

"Now, where do you think you're going? Did you forget about my drink?"

"Shit." Francesca hissed under her breath as several people surrounded her. He'd let her think that she could get away so that she wouldn't make a scene in the tavern. Clever.

And she'd fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

"Don't think you'll get away this time." Levi walked around her body until he was facing her.

"How'd you find me?" Francesca asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Coincidence. I like coming here to get a drink once in a while. Saw you earlier, and just came back with reinforcements. You didn't look like you would be leaving any time soon." Levi smirked and Francesca grunted at him.

Someone from behind, pushed her to her knees and brought her arms behind her back, tying them securely together.

"This time you will not get away. My Commander would like to ask you a few questions... I'm sure you'll be happy to oblige and answer them for him." The corner of one of Levi's lips twitched upwards for a moment before resuming his bored expression.

"Humph, don't act all high and mighty. I got away twice from you. At least act humble." Francesca stuck her tongue out at him, not even caring if she looked childish or not.

Levi's eyebrow twitched a bit. "How old are you?"

"Twenty." Francesca lied without even batting an eyelash.

Levi just looked at her and she was pulled up again, hands securely tied.

"Not buying it? Fine. Nineteen." Again she fibbed smiling sweetly at him.

Levi crossed his arms across his chest.

"Eighteen..."

"..." His stare bore into her eyes, making her stomach flutter.

"Seventeen..."

"..." His eyes narrowed a bit.

"Fine! I'm almost sixteen you asshole." Francesca grumbled with a pout. "Wait... Why am I even telling you how old I am?"

Levi's lip twitched in what looked like amusement.

"Why do you even want to know how old I am? Are you a secret pervert that's only into girls under seventeen? Oh! I know! You just want an underage sex slave! That's why you keep trying to capture me! Perverts, the lot of you! For shame, if only your mothers could see you now." Francesca shook her head at him. She was enjoying the look of disbelief on all of their faces immensely.

"You're absolutely crazy."

"No, you just don't have a sense of humor. Anyway, how old are you?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Ass, it was just a little bitty question. Since I answered it, the least you could do is answer it back." Francesca muttered.

She guessed the rest of the Scouts got over their shock because two of them grabbed her on either side of her arms and started leading her to a closed carriage.

"Well, don't I feel just like a princess?" Francesca knew that she shouldn't tease them but she just couldn't let them see that she might be just a tiny bit scared of what was going to happen.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed James. He didn't look pleased at all.

"Well, I tried my best... Can't say that I didn't." Francesca muttered to him even though he was way to far away to even hear it.


	10. Chapter 10

They threw Francesca into a small, cold room with one table and two chairs facing each other with the table in between them. The door slammed shut behind her and when she looked over her shoulder, Francesca noticed that they'd left her alone in the room. With a small shrug, she walked around the room before going over to the table and sitting down in the chair that faced the door.

Even though she didn't look it, Francesca was pretty tense. This was one of her worst nightmares come true. Good thing she still didn't look like her old self... but still, if an MP walked in and recognized her, she would be screwed. Hopefully they kept this within the Scouts and she could serve whatever sentence they had for assaulting a Captain...

Shit. Who was she kidding with?

She was screwed either way!

Unless they had a secret exit that they had conveniently forgotten about and she found it within the next few minutes... The cuffs around her wrists were loose enough for her to wiggle herself free... possibly...

She could dream! It couldn't hurt her anymore then she already was...

God damn it!

How long were they planning on keeping her alone there, anyways? Weren't they supposed to throw her in the seat and start interrogating her, and breaking a few of her finger bones if she didn't answer their questions? Maybe her leg if she was being extremely stubborn about opening her mouth?

Oh! They'd probably threaten her with throwing her over the wall and get eaten by a Titan... no that would be too mean... and they'd know she wouldn't believe it...

While Francesca was left in that room by herself for what seemed like hours, during that time, she had non stop commentary in her mind on what she thought they would do to her when they finally decided to get their asses in the room...

She also wondered if Levi was one going to be the one to walk into the room... She definitely wouldn't mind seeing his ass again... Those white pants the Scouts wore were simply delightful... and the way they looked specifically on him...

Just the thought of it had her drooling a bit. She cold just imagine how see through they would be in the rain, wet, see through...

Exactly when had she become a pervert? Wasn't she supposed to be too young for that shit? It had to have been the Thieves Guild. She'd been around them way to much...

Good thing James couldn't read her mind... He'd be so shocked and he wouldn't be able to look at her in the eyes ever again!

Not that she ever thought anything like that about him (that would be gross, he was practically her brother!), but whenever she saw someone else that was appealing...

Just then, the door slammed open, interrupting her contemplations.

To her inner delight, in strolled Levi in those marvelous white pants.

When he sat down, her pleasure diminished considerably as the reason for her being there made its forceful return to her mind.

She still gave him a smile though and it seemed to throw him off a bit from the look of the raised eyebrow.

"Cesco..." Levi started off, his face once again showing no emotion. "That is not your real name."

It wasn't a question, so she felt no need to speak just yet. Francesca pursed her lips, and eyes flickering behind him for a second as the door opened. Another Scout walked in. It was the woman from before with the red hair. She strode over to Levi and stopped just behind and to the right of him.

Levi didn't even move an inch, his gaze locked on Francesca. "You are the 'Cesco' that had been trying to help three children get away from titans when the wall was breached the day before."

Francesca shrugged, wanting to ask about how the children were doing but not wanting to speak just yet.

"You are a women and not a man. Why were you disguising yourself as a man?" Levi didn't seem to be fazed by her lack of speech.

After a few more moments of silence, Levi spoke again. "Where did you get the Three Dimensional Maneuvering Gear?"

Francesca tilted her head to the side for a second, contemplating whether to answer the rest of the questions truthfully, or even weather she should answer them at all.

Finally, she got bored of the silence, so she decided to throw them a bone. "I bought it."

The two Scouts regarded each of their before turning back to her. Once again, it was Levi that asked the question. "Where?"

At that stupid question, Francesca leaned back in her seat with a snort and roll of her eyes. "If you don't know where, then you're an idiot. Sad thing, with your sexy looks, but subpar intelligence... I just might regret my crush on you."

The redheaded Scout behind Levi sputtered in disbelief, her eyes wide.

Levi on the other hand hardly seemed fazed. He just kept his cool gaze on her. "The Underground Black Market."

"Ahh, not just a yummy view, I'm glad to hear." Francesca couldn't help but wink and chuckle lightly. She then brought her arms up from her lap and placed them on the table. Technically she hadn't been lying. Sure, that particular one might not have been from the Black Market, but she had more then one hidden in secret locations all over the place so he didn't need to know that the one he'd seen her use was the one James had taken when he'd deserted all those years ago. No way was she going to tell them about that. And if they wanted to know where she'd left it, then she'd be more then happy to lead them in a different direction.

The redhead gasped then cleared her throat. She was a little in shock at the way Francesca talked, obviously not used to it. Francesca didn't know whether it was because she was so young or the fact that it was because she was saying it to a Scout Captain that made the redhead so shocked, but seeing those expressions cross her face was hilarious either way.

Maybe Francesca shouldn't be acting the way she was, but it wasn't like she wasn't nervous! What did they want her to do? Start crying like a baby all over the place and begging them to let her go?

Like that was going to help. Puh-lease.

"How long have you been able to use Three Dimension Maneuvering Gear? Who taught you?" Levi's voice tore her away from her inner monologue.

Mixing a truth with a lie made it more truth then a lie... Right? Plus, it helped that she was a good liar... eh, worth a shot. "It's been a few years. Nobody taught me, I taught myself."

Levi raised an eyebrow, not believing her.

Francesca winced. Hadn't she been a good liar...? Something was wrong with her... Well, she still hadn't going to tell him, so he was out of luck with that. Even if they did break her leg...

"Have you ever murdered anyone?" That sudden question left Francesca gapping at the Captain in disbelief.

"Are you crazy?! I might be a criminal but I'm not a murderer! Where the Hell did you even hear that from?!" And it was true, she hadn't ever killed anybody. She might want to, but wanting was not the same as actually doing it.

"Ah, so you admit to being a criminal? That tattoo on the underside of your left wrist shows you're part of the Thieves Guild... You're a pickpocket, or a burglar..."

Francesca felt her face flush a bit. She'd hated the idea of the tattoo when they'd put it on her, how could she have forgotten about it? It was usually hidden under her gloves, but she hadn't put those on that morning. And even worse, the slip of the tongue had given away her occupation.

"Where they the one's that taught you self defense? Do you know more then that?"

Francesca decided that now would be a good time to keep her mouth shut, so she did.

That was when the door opened again and in walked a tall man with blond hair and icy blue eyes. Those eyes immediately locked on Francesca's green ones.

Levi got up from his seat and let the other take his place.

Francesca knew that this guys was one of the Big Fish. He had that commanding air around him, like he was used to leading and giving orders.

"Uh, hi..?" Francesca said more then a little uncertain. With Levi, she knew how to handle him. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. This guy though... This guy was different. Also good looking, but not really her type.

"Ah, thank you." The man said, an amused look on his face.

That was when Francesca realized that she had just said that last bit of thought out loud. "Opps..." Francesca grinned and decided to keep focused so that she wouldn't inadvertently say something else a bit more damaging then saying someone was good looking.

The man studied her for a few more seconds before opening his mouth. "My name is Erwin Smith, I'm the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps. I've got a proposition for you..." Here was where he paused to eye her dress. "Cesco..."

"Huh..?" Francesca's eyes widened in incredulity.

"First, you will be tested. If you pass, Levi will tell you our proposition."

"And if I fail?" Francesca wondered.

Commander Erwin smiled. "You don't want to fail." He then stood up and left, along with the redhead.

Francesca hid a shiver. That was definitely a threat.

"Alright, I'm taking you to a holding cell, in a few hours, we're going to begin the tests." Levi stated, as he stepped over to Francesca and placing his hand on her arm, tugging her up, then pushing her in front of him and out the door.

"Would you mind un-cuffing me?" Francesca threw over her should with a smirk.

The look Levi gave her was priceless and the grip on her arm tightened in warning.

The giggle that escaped her lips just made the look more intense. "Just kidding... Hey are we underground? All those stairs and no windows are kind of creepy you know. And don't you think that the blindfold was a bit much?"

She heard a disgruntled grunt and Francesca let out another chuckle.


	11. Chapter 11

Note: I cannot apologise enough for me taking so long to update. I'm so sorry! Warning, I suck at writing fight scenes... so I apologise for that too...

Chapter 11:

Francesca studied the cell that Levi pushed her into. The only thing in there was a bed that was pushed up against the back corner wall. On the bed was a thin blanket and a pillow that seemed extra squashed. She definitely wasn't going to touch it. It gave her the shudders to think how many people had used it before her.

"I'll come and get you later. Know that if you try anything, you will be locked up instead of getting your chance at semi freedom." Levi stated, closing the bar door behind her.

"Why don't you join me?" Francesca teased as she turned to look over her shoulder at him. "And aren't you going to take these off yet?"

Levi's eye twitched for a second, before walking away without a word.

"Meanie!" Francesca called down to him before turning around to take a closer look at her cell. Who knew, she might find something valuable from the last occupant. She'd take off the leg and hand shackles first though. They were chafing her skin and Francesca could already tell that there would be bruises around her wrists and ankles for the next few days.

She quickly ran her fingers through her hair and pulled out a metal bobby pin that she always kept hidden there. Francesca looked through the bars to see if anyone was watching her. When no one met her searching eyes, she sat down on the bed and got to work on the locks. In less than a minute, the handcuffs clanged to the floor. The shackles on her feet followed seconds later and Francesca sighed with relief. After rubbing the bruising, she got up again and began looking in every nook and cranny of the room, not that there was a lot to look through.

"Well, that was pointless." Francesca huffed and let out a groan as she flopped backwards onto the bed. She wasn't even going to try to unlock the cell. She was probably kept under watch and someone would notice if the cell door magically opened. From what her mental counting of steps, she was underground and more then likely far from any exit. She'd be caught before she ran up one set of stairs.

Apparently she wasn't alone because just then someone spoke. "Hello?" It was hesitant and sounded young.

Francesca pushed herself up from her bed and looked out the bars, first the right and then the left. The hallway was deserted. "Who's there?" She called out. It had better not be a ghost.

"Who're you?" The voice said again and this time, Francesca could tell that it was coming from the cell right next to hers.

Francesca still couldn't see him but she was pretty sure it wasn't a ghost otherwise it would have gone through the wall. "I asked first."

There was a grunt and then a voice said. "I'm Eren. You're in the cell? That means you're a criminal."

The tone was condescending and it made her hackles rise up. A frown appeared on her face in less then a second. "Well you're in one, so you must be one too. Idiot." She huffed, and walked back to the bed. There was no way she was going to talk to that asshole.

"I never di-..." Eren cut himself of, indignant. "It's not like I did it on purpose." That last part was muttered and Francesca only just caught it.

Francesca smiled, a bit smug with herself. Not that she cared if he was or not, she was just happy that the condescending tone was wiped from his voice. "Prick."

After that she just ignored if he talked. It was getting late, and she found herself falling asleep, so she drifted off. If they were going to test her today, then they'd have to drag her to wherever they planned to take her because she wasn't going to move a muscle.

Unless they offered food. She was kind of hungry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning dawned, or at least Francesca imagined, bright. The first thing she saw was a group of Scouts walking past her cell towards the pricks cell. They spoke but Francesca was too groggy to listen to what they said. She sat up just as they led him in chains and their eyes connected. Green eyes, brown hair. He was her age and was wearing a Training Regiment uniform.

She blinked roughly as they went out of sight. "Huh. Alrighty then." Francesca muttered before flopping back down on the bed. A few more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt.

The next time she woke up, someone had banged on one of the bars loud enough to jar her awake. Her eyes felt like they were glued shut, they didn't want to open. She blinked roughly until her cloudy vision cleared. Good this the light was dime, if there had been a window with bright sunlight, it would have been torture.

"Here's some food. Better eat it quick before the rats get to it." The person said before leaving her alone.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Francesca grumbled to herself as she scooted off the bed and towards the plate that had been left on a small table that they'd brought with them. She picked up the plate and studied the food with a small frown. It didn't look appetizing, not one bit. "What the hell is this?"

The bread at least still looked like bread so she carefully took a bite of it. Nothing unpleasant was recognized by her taste buds so she decided to finish it off and leave the rest of the congealed mess on the plate. The rats could have it if they wanted it.

She was still chewing on the last piece of the bread as she reached up to touch her hair. It was a mess. Without a comb on hand, it would take forever to tease the knots apart with her fingers. "At least my hair isn't that long..." Francesca grumbled to herself through the mouthful of bread.

Quickly, she got to work. She started at the end of her hair, and made her way up. It took a good ten minutes to get the mess untangled. She should have remembered from the last time that she'd fallen asleep without brushing her hair beforehand...

When she was done, Francesca flopped down on the bed again, her head hanging off the side. She had to make plans, or at least decide whether she wanted to risk an escape or not. Even if she would try out the tests. Why they would want her in the Survey Corps was beyond her. It wasn't like she could fight with them on or anything. "I'll try it, just to see Levi again..." Francesca chuckled. She was going to make his life a living Hell. Others might have not noticed, but she could tell that she'd gotten under his skin on more than one occasion during their short time of acquaintance. Francesca chuckled again, before sitting up and crossing her leg, making sure to tuck her long skirt under her legs. She was going to meditate. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Francesca felt her muscles relax slightly. She hadn't meditated in a while, even though it helped her clean her mind. Being in the Thief's Guild didn't really give you a lot of privacy. She'd been semi lucky that no one had ever found out about her being a girl. Not that it mattered anymore. She wouldn't be able to go back to that life even if she did escape.

Hours later, Francesca was jolted out of her meditation when someone tapped the bars to the now open cell door. She blinked owlishly at Levi the the redhead from before. They had a few more people behind them and they looked semi-familiar... Probably the squad that had captured her that time just after her first escape from Levi.

"You picked the locks..." Levi stated, eyes narrowing at the cuffs left discarded on the stone floor.

Francesca sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with her left hand. "Opps? I wasn't supposed to?" She managed to hold back a giggle at the look that flashed through his eyes.

"Hold out your hands so I can put them back on. Don't try anything." The redhead warned as walked up to Francesca, a different pair of cuff in her hands.

"Aww, do you have to? What if I promise to be good?" Francesca grumbled, but she did as she was told, making sure to keep her body language slack. "No leg shackles at least? Those are stupid..."

The redhead turned to give a quick glance at Levi who nodded. She turned back to Francesca and helped her slide off the bed and onto her feet. "Fine, but if you do anything, you're going to end up wearing them again."

Francesca nodded her head, wishing he had stretched her arms before being cuffed but followed the instructions that they gave her. As they made their way through the halls and up the stairs, Francesca made mental maps of the directions. If they brought her back here at any point, she'd be able to get out with ease.

"Where are we headed, anyways?" Francesca asked, her eyes taking in the huge hallway they'd walked into, before being taken out the wooden double doors. Sunlight smacked her face, and Francesca flinched at the brightness.

"You're going to be tested in the Training Corps area by our best Recruits of the year." Levi stated as he walked next to her. They followed a path between buildings before they came to a courtyard that was full of training equipment and targets.

"We won't test your use of the 3DMG yet since I've seen how you handle it but we will see everything else. Remember, don't try anything, you are surrounded." Levi stated and gestured for the redhead to unlock her cuffs.

Francesca pouted, rubbing her wrists when they came off. They could have just let her walk without the cuffs if they were just going to take them off again...

"You will be tested on hand to hand combat first. It is not imperative that you know it but it is useful." Levi said walking over to the middle of the courtyard and Francesca reluctantly followed. "Your first opponent will be Reiner Braun, and if you beat him, your next opponent will be Annie Leonhart. She is top rank of melee tactics and hand to hand."

Francesca scanned around and her eyes landed on two people walking over towards her. One was small, a bit taller the Francesca, slim build and blond hair. The other was the total opposite of her. He had muscles and was at least one and a half feet taller. He also had blond hair.

Francesca's eyes narrowed as she noticed the man look her up and down, before dismissing her completely. She bit her lip and made herself look small and weak. She was going to shove that dismissal up his ass. She noticed that the woman didn't dismiss her like her companion did. She would have to be careful with that one. She'd be able to take the big one by surprise and drop him like a rock, that much she was sure of.

Before they got any closer, Francesca murmured to Levi. "Nice to know that you want me to fail. Not even letting me change into actual pants. Such agentleman."

Francesca turned away but she noticed the slight pinkening of his skin. She had to hide back a smirk. Likely, he had forgotten about that bit. In all honesty, it wouldn't matter to Francesca. Her skirt had slits on both sides that were carefully hidden within the ruffles and folds of the dress. Not that they knew that. And if she needed a shorter skirt, she could rip it.

"Sir." Both the man and woman said, giving Levi the salute. Right fist over their hearts and left hand behind their backs. Now that they were closer, Francesca could tell that they weren't that old. If anything, they were her age or around there.

"You've been briefed?" Levi asked and they both responded in the positive. "Alright, this is ..." Here there was a slight pause as Levi slid his eyes over to Francesca who couldn't keep her lips from twitching upwards. "Cesco.. Get ready to begin."

"Yes, sir!" Reiner Braun glanced over at her with a smirk as Levi and Anne Leonhart left them. He didn't seem to notice the hesitation with her name.

Francesca faced Reiner and bent her knees slightly. Not that the big guy noticed, he was too busy boosting to the other girl.

"Ready, set, start!" The redhead called from the side lines.

When Reiner turned his attention to her to begin the fight, Francesca widened her eyes slightly and noticed the way he smirked at the look on her face. She caught Levi's slight wince from the corner of her eye when she dodged Reiner's lounge and kneed him much like she'd kneed Levi the other day.

A noise between a squeak and a grunt left his lips and he fell sideways.

"Don't you know anything else besides... that?" Levi asked after quietly clearing his throat.

Francesca smiled innocently over at him. "Ohh, of course I do, but doesn't that one bring back some wonderful memories?" Francesca bent over the prone man, a satisfied smirk stuck on her face. "That should teach you to underestimate people."

"Th-that's cheatin-ing!" Reiner grunted, trying to push himself up from the ground.

"How is taking advantage of an opponent's stupidity, cheating?" Francesca raised her eyebrow, silently laughing at the noise that left Levi's throat as well as Reiner's.

"Alright, my turn." Anne walked over and stood in front of Francesca.

Francesca straightened up and got into her defensive form. She widened her stance a little and put her arms up, hands into fists. Anne locked eyes with Francesca and for a moment. Nobody moved, you'd be able to hear a mouse cough.

Anne lounged, much like Reiner had earlier, but instead of sidestepping and kneeing Anne, Francesca blocked Anne's strike with her forearm and kicked at her knee, hoping that she would fall and be able to pin her down. Anne saw it, grabbed Francesca's arms, and threw her to the side.

Francesca pushed off the ground with her hands, and flipped onto her feet. She reached down, and tore her skirt, to make it shorter. The length had almost made stumble. Anne got back into her stance and watched Francesca. They circled each other, arms up. They took turns attacking, and they would always end up circling again.

Francesca blew a stray hair away from her eye, and lost focus for a second. Anne took advantage of her momentary loss of concentration. She kicked, Francesca sidestepped it and caught Anne's arm that had been going towards her face. She struggle to bring Anne's arm behind her back, hoping to immobilize her. Anne dropped and Francesca fell on top of her. They grappled for a bit before Anne pinned Francesca down.

Francesca huffed. "And that's why I like taking people by surprise."

"Not bad." Anne stated, letting go of Francesca and holding out her hand to help her up. "Who taught you to fight?"

Francesca smiled. "My brother. He really wanted me to be able to protect myself." That was all she said before turning back to Levi and his groupies.

"You pass. We'll go get you something else to wear for the rest of your evaluations..." Levi stated, eyes going down to eye her legs.

"Which is what a gentleman would have done in the beginning. Good thing you're not gentleman." Francesca stuck her tongue out playfully at the look on Levi's face, ignoring the way everyone else had choked in disbelief. "Well, come one! I would like to get this done and over with already! That food you gave me earlier wasn't even technically food either. You owe me actual food! Oh better yet, take me on a date to some expensive food place and I'll call it even!"

Levi sputtered, and Francesca couldn't help but laugh at the glare he sent her.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

"Damn, I look good!" Francesca twisted her body so that she could look at her ass in the white pants. "Sorry Levi, you're not number one anymore!"

Someone cleared their throat and Francesca stopped admiring herself so that she could look over at the group watching her.

"Oh, hey! I forgot you were there..." Francesca giggled, trying to hide the smirk on her face behind her hands. They were just too easy.

Unbeknownst to the group, she was studying her surroundings for any and all possible escape routes. She'd maybe-semi agreed to the deal but that didn't mean she would stop her survival instincts because of it. She might act like an idiot but that didn't mean she was one. And people kept forgetting that it seemed.

"Alright! What are we going to do next?" Francesca sauntered over to the group. When she got there, instead of stopping , she decided to walk in a circle around them, trying to get her feet used to the new boots that she was wearing. They we supple enough, easy to maneuver in, but still a bit inflexible in the soles. Only use would help with that though.

"We need to test out your sword skills." Levi reached over when she was about to pass him and gripped her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.

Francesca rolled her eyes and tried to slip out of his grip. Didn't work so she gave up with a huff. "You might as well not even try. I have zero." The pout that followed made her look even younger than she already was.

"Zero?" Levi raised an eyebrow, studying her face.

The girl rolled her eyes at him again. Did he really not listen? Honestly, it wasn't like she was lying either. "I have zero sword skills! So you might as well skip over that part of the test."

Levi frowned, his grip finally loosened and Francesca darted away from him. She walked over to the targets on the other side of the courtyard. By the way her spine tingled, she knew they were watching her.

"I never learned how to do that. Stupid James." The last part she muttered to herself so that they wouldn't hear it. She wondered how he was doing. Luckily, he hadn't come after her, otherwise she would have heard of it. Thinking about James made Francesca miss him, now that she couldn't openly go to his tavern whenever she felt like it.

Then she spotted the knife stuck in one of the targets, taking her thoughts of of James. She pulled it out and studied it for a moment. The ballance was a bit off but she walked a dozen yards away from the target.

They hadn't yet noticed the knife in her hands, too busy talking to one another. More than likely they were debating on what to test her on next. She couldn't help but shake her head at that slight over sight.

When they finally did notice, she had locked her eyes on the target. Flipping the knife in the air, Francesca caught it by the blade. She pulled her arm back and flicked her wrist as she brought her arm back in a swift and steady movement. It sunk hilt deep into the target, an inch away from the center of it.

"Damn..." Francesca grunted, going back to the target, intent on doing it again. This time she would sink it dead center.

"What are you doing?" Then someone grabbed her arm. By the sound of the voice, it was Levi once again.

Francesca turned her head towards Levi and smiled brightly. "Practicing my knife throwing skills while you discuss adult things with each other."

Levi looked at her for a second before pulling her away from the target and back towards the group.

"Hey! I was having fun! You ass!" She enjoyed the way his face twitched.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Days went by with exhausting training on how to use the swords and where to cut a titan to kill it. She was having trouble with it but at least she had progressed some, though at the end of the day she would just fall into the bed and pass out. The mornings would bring sore muscles and grumpy snarls from her.

She'd had to wake up at times that left her groggy until her first cup of delicious coffee, the drink of the gods. On the last day of her stay, someone had even learned to leave a cup already at her bedside for when she woke up so as not to cause mayhem. Francesca hadn't been able to help herself from thinking that she was training them well.

Then they had the move to an old Scout base that looked like a run down castle. It had taken a few days to get there and surprisingly, they had let Francesca ride a horse by herself. Albeit, she had been surrounded by bodies and her hands were tied together, but still. It had been a while since she'd let the wind run through her hair like that from a horse's back, feeling free(even though she wasn't). She'd learned from a young age how to ride with the help of her father. Francesca had taken to it like a fish in water from the start and enjoyed it immensely every time she got the chance to do it(which hadn't been that often lately). As her horse ran, Francesca leaned forward slightly and ran her fingers through her black mane. It brought back memories of her father and mother. Thoughts of them usually left her feeling sad, but not this time. Riding horses had always been a happy time for her. She wasn't going to let sadness taint it. A smile graced her lips, eyes looking through everything, and towards the past.

During the ride, she didn't notice the grey eyes that studied her closely, noting how easy it was for her and the posture she held while on the horse.

Not even a minute after arriving, Levi had handed her cleaning supplies and had locked her in the lower basement! She'd been there for hours dusting, sweeping and putting things in the right places, though she's made a few surprises for any unsuspecting victims. She was going to laugh her ass of at whoever triggered the traps and Francesca wouldn't give a damn that they would know who did it. She wanted them to double think their choices.

"That hot asshole! Making me clean this shit all by myself! What the hell does he think I am?! Motherfucki-"

"Cesco?" A voice called down and pretty soon Petra and Levi walked into her view.

"What the hell do you want now? I'm cleaning already! Jeez, some people." Francesca muttered the last part as she yanked down the cloth that covered her nose and mouth from the flying dust. It was a bad idea because that only made her cough as the dust decided to go into her lungs. After the most ridiculous coughing fit she'd ever had, Francesca glared up at the duo with watery eyes. "What the fuck do you want?!"

Yes, she was in a bad mood. Horrible even. Francesca was at her limit of not flipping out and she was going to make the whole world, or at least the whole castle population, know of her displeasure and impending blow up. If they didn't take the warning she was kindly giving them then... Well they reap what they sow.

"We're done for the day. You're allowed to take a bath and we'll place you in a room once you're finished. There'll be some food there if you're hungry." Petra was the one the spoke, giving Francesca a small grin.

Francesca stared, wide eyed for a moment before flinging the dusting feathers and cloth away and throwing herself at the startled Scouts."Oh god, I love you!" She then ran out of the room and hurried towards the place she knew held the baths, paying absolutely no attention to the yelling behind her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The two Scouts chased the very fast teenager and after a few turns, they saw her fling herself into the bathing room with a cry of joy. Petra walked in to tell Francesca where the extra clothes were before going out again to stand next to Levi.

"She's... interesting." Petra commented as she locked the door behind her with the key and headed away towards the dinning area.

Levi nodded slightly. "She still hasn't provided us with her real name."

"She doesn't want us to know it." Petra stated simply as they walked down the stairs.

"What was with all that noise? Did you somehow manage to loose our lovely apprentice?" Oluo asked with a smirk.

Gunther and Jinn laughed when Levi grunted in displeasure.

"It was kind of funny, honestly. As soon as I told her she could take a bath, she went nuts." Petra couldn't help but giggle a bit at the look of happiness that had passed through the girl's face. "She acted like she hadn't had a bath in ages."

"That's where she is right now? Are you sure it's alright to leave her there?" Gunther asked with a raised eyebrow.

Petra nodded. "I locked her in, she's probably going to stay there for an hour."

"Women and their baths." Oluo rolled his eyes and flinched when Petra hit his head.

Meanwhile, Levi was deep in thought, putting a few pieces together.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I'm in heaven!" Francesca groaned out as she sunk deeper into the water, letting her muscles relax fully into the warmth. She wasn't going to move. Nope, not one little, tiny bit. Not even when there was a secret tunnel that was just too easy to spot right behind the mirror. Not that she was going to escape, nope. Not yet at least.

Francesca giggled. She was going to annoy the crap out of Levi first.


End file.
